UK study to test link between menstrual hormones and gambling

A woman in recovery, Kiki Marriott, said her urge to gamble peaked around ovulation, a pattern she noticed after entering treatment in 2024 following 22 years of gambling and substance use. Marriott recalled feeling moody and close to relapsing during that phase: “I didn’t want to talk to anybody… I was so close to pressing that button a few times.” She now mentors peers and helps lead women-only support groups where members discuss hormonal effects on mood and cravings.

Gordon Moody, a gambling harm charity, and the University of Birmingham have secured funding for a study testing whether hormonal changes linked to menstruation, ovulation, menopause and childbirth affect gambling behaviour, impulsivity and risk-taking. The research is supervised by Renate Reniers and led by PhD student Holly Harwood. It will use a longitudinal design and aims to recruit 50 to 100 participants from Gordon Moody programmes. Researchers plan to combine psychometric tests and focus groups with biological sampling, including sweat patches to measure sex hormones across the cycle and hair samples to assess cortisol. The project is awaiting ethics approval and data collection is expected to run for about 2.5 years.

Clinicians and staff at treatment services have reported repeated accounts from women who notice monthly patterns in craving and mood. Claire Snowden-Bird, interim clinical director at Gordon Moody, noted that awareness of hormonal changes could help people plan coping strategies or access extra support during vulnerable phases. “People can be aware of their triggers,” she observed.

Existing studies have linked higher oestrogen with increased reward sensitivity and risk-taking, while higher progesterone appears to reduce that tendency. Much of the prior research, however, involved participants with low levels of gambling harm. Reniers said this project is likely the first to focus specifically on women with harmful gambling behaviour and aims to inform more gender-responsive treatment approaches in residential services.

Harwood indicated that if hormones are shown to influence gambling urges, there may be scope to explore pharmacological options. Earlier research has found progesterone can reduce use of substances such as cocaine and nicotine, a finding researchers plan to consider when interpreting results.

Advocates and providers point to barriers that limit women’s access to gambling treatment, including stigma, caring responsibilities and a lack of gender-specific services. Cheryl Williams, strategic lead at a mental health charity, noted that about 75% of applicants to a recent treatment pilot were men. Women in treatment often report that tracking their cycle helps them understand high-risk periods and plan extra support.

Researchers and clinicians have also raised data-privacy concerns. There are unverified reports that period-tracking data can be sold or used for targeted advertising. A 2025 US court ruling found a major social media company used period-tracking app data to target ads between 2016 and 2019, and regulators have reported some instances of gambling firms sharing user data for ad targeting. There is no public evidence that menstrual-tracking data has been used specifically to target gambling advertising.

Marriott said she hopes the study will help more women see their behaviour as understandable rather than shameful. “Knowledge is power,” she said. Researchers said their immediate aim is to provide treatment services with clearer ways to support women during phases when they may be most at risk.